Rules of thumb are supposed to set us free from rigid thinking, yet they often become rigid themselves. Whether it is advice from improv classes, leadership seminars, or motivational posters, we are surrounded by maxims that say "never do this" and "always do that." This episode questions that binary approach and looks at what happens when one well-intended rule just replaces another. Sometimes good judgment means knowing when to break your own pattern; not because the rule was wrong, but because context changed.